My holiday

NYREE YERGAINHARSIAN,Theatre-maker

What’s your earliest holiday memory?

Aged three or five at SeaWorld in California. I remember being in a buggy shaped like a dolphin with the tail coming up as handles to push it. I thought this buggy was the bees’ knees! I went to California to get baptised in the Armenian church. All of my Armenian family on my dad’s side live there – aunts, uncles cousins and extended family. They travel in packs. My dad’s parents were Armenian but he grew up in Beirut. After the war in Beirut all of his family went to the States but my dad married my mother and came to Ireland.

What was your worst holiday?

When I was about 10 I went to Edinburgh with my mum and sister and had a cavity aching like mad for the entire time. The minute I got there I got a mad toothache until a waitress gave me painkillers to ease it! But I love Edinburgh and when I returned there last year I saw it in a whole new light.

What was your best holiday?

I had an amazing holiday on the Greek island of Milos recently. My boyfriend is from Greece so he knows the hot spots. It’s really untouched; with clean and clear water right to the bottom of the sea.

Another memorable trip was couple of weeks travelling around Armenia.

It’s really beautiful and is trying to establish itself and is getting there slowly but surely. The diaspora around the world is helping to contribute to this development. When people are forced to leave a country it becomes more embedded in their sense of identity. My dad is the Armenian consul here so that keeps him in touch with the few Armenians in Ireland and the culture.

If budget or work were no restriction, what would be your dream holiday?

I’d take a trip around the world on a big sailing boat. There were lots of people sailing in Greece and it seemed so back-to-nature. If I had the time, money and people to go with it would be a great way to get around.

Who would you bring on holiday with you if you had your pick?

Every Irish person who has not already seen the sun this year. Just a little bit of sun and you feel great.

What’s your favourite place in Ireland?

I love the west and think Galway is a brilliant city to be in. Otherwise, Dublin city on a sunny day can really put a smile on my face. I spend most of my life in Temple Bar but love Phoenix Park and the little coffee shop outside the zoo is a lovely place to sit.

Your recommended holiday reading?

Anything by Gabriel García Márquez, particularly Love in the Time of Cholera.

Where will you go to next?

I’m going to London soon and hopefully to more of those fabulous Greek islands.

Theatre-maker Nyree Yergainharsian's new show Where do I start?runs at Project Arts Centre from September 10th-17th at 1pm as part Absolut Fringe. Book tickets on fringefest.com